The Croatian government on Wednesday adopted a decision on the subsidising of costs of freshman-year studies at public institutions of higher education in the academic year 2010-11 under which all students who qualify for enrollment and are enrolled within enrollment quotas are entitled to free education during freshman year.
Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said the adoption of the decision would provide all such students with the "same starting positions".
"Under this decision, all freshmen will enrol in accordance with the enrolment quotas of institutions of higher education. If they enrol in each successive year within deadlines, they can graduate without paying any fees, while the less successful they are, the higher their fees will be," said Fuchs.
Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said that with this decision the government was encouraging new students to be successful and meet all their education-related commitments.
"This decision is an investment in Croatia's future," she said, adding that a little over HRK 129 million would be required to implement the decision in the next school year, of which HRK 26 million would be paid this year and the rest in 2011.
Also today, the government sent to parliament two documents required for alignment with the European Union acquis communautaire -- bills of amendments to the Customs Act and to the Flammable Liquids and Gases Act.
